New Hampshire property taxes by county
Across New Hampshire, the median owner-occupied home pays $6,667 a year in real-estate taxes on a median home value of $402,500 — an effective property-tax rate of 1.656%. That ranks New Hampshire #4 of 51 states and the District of Columbia (1 = highest). This page carries all 10 New Hampshire county-equivalents in the Census data — 10 with a published effective rate — sortable by rate, taxes paid, home value, income, or five-year change. It also sets out how property tax actually works in New Hampshire: how property is assessed, which exemptions exist and who qualifies, the deadline and body for an appeal, and the payment schedule and penalties — each hand-sourced from official New Hampshire sources. Figures are U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
- Effective tax rate
- 1.656%
- Median real-estate taxes
- $6,667 ± $35
- Median home value
- $402,500
- Median household income
- $99,031
- National rank
- #4 of 51
- County-equivalents
- 10
Median real-estate taxes ÷ median home value — a ratio of two independently-estimated medians, not a statutory (millage) rate.
How property tax varies across New Hampshire
Across New Hampshire's 10 county-equivalents with a published rate, the effective property-tax rate runs from 2.159% in Cheshire County down to 0.989% in Carroll County — a 2.2× spread inside a single state, which is why a statewide average tells a buyer very little.
The largest median real-estate tax bill in New Hampshire is $7,839 in Rockingham County, which ranks #8 of 10 by RATE — while the state's highest rate, 2.159%, is in Cheshire County, where the median bill is $6,048. Dollars and rate are different questions and rank counties differently.
Measured against the national median effective rate of 0.937%, 10 of New Hampshire's 10 ranked counties sit above it and 0 below. New Hampshire as a whole ranks #4 of 51 (1 = highest).
Median home value statewide is $402,500, but within New Hampshire it ranges from $497,500 in Rockingham County to $188,900 in Coos County — the denominator of the effective rate, and the main reason two counties with similar bills can show very different rates.
Statewide, the median real-estate tax bill equals about 6.7% of median household income. That share is heaviest in Strafford County (7.6%) and lightest in Carroll County (4.5%).
Comparing the non-overlapping Census periods 2015–2019 and 2020–2024, median real-estate taxes rose by a statistically significant amount in 10 of New Hampshire's 10 counties with a comparable trend, fell significantly in 0, and showed no statistically significant change in 0.
Estimate a New Hampshire property tax bill
A median-based estimate, not a quote, an assessment, or a tax bill — it cannot know your assessed value, exemptions, or special districts. How this is computed.
Every New Hampshire county
All 10 New Hampshire county-equivalents in the Census data (10 with a published effective rate). Click a column heading to sort. Counties in bold have a full detail card further down this page — margins of error, nearby counties, and their five-year trend.
| Cheshire County | 2.159% | $6,048 | $6,121 | $5,910 | $280,100 | $83,329 | 7.3% | #1 | #52 | +13.3% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sullivan County | 2.142% | $5,756 | $5,869 | $5,611 | $268,700 | $80,858 | 7.1% | #2 | #54 | +22.2% |
| Coos County | 1.895% | $3,579 | $3,672 | $3,501 | $188,900 | $57,677 | 6.2% | #3 | #114 | +13.7% |
| Strafford County | 1.849% | $6,708 | $7,061 | $6,001 | $362,800 | $88,570 | 7.6% | #4 | #127 | +16.7% |
| Merrimack County | 1.845% | $6,783 | $7,168 | $6,065 | $367,600 | $97,004 | 7.0% | #5 | #128 | +18.3% |
| Grafton County | 1.720% | $5,925 | $6,073 | $5,724 | $344,500 | $88,261 | 6.7% | #6 | #183 | +28.2% |
| Hillsborough County | 1.662% | $6,999 | $7,059 | $6,873 | $421,100 | $103,545 | 6.8% | #7 | #216 | +15.6% |
| Rockingham County | 1.576% | $7,839 | $8,002 | $7,478 | $497,500 | $118,331 | 6.6% | #8 | #279 | +22.2% |
| Belknap County | 1.313% | $4,924 | $5,033 | $4,734 | $374,900 | $92,783 | 5.3% | #9 | #578 | +17% |
| Carroll County | 0.989% | $3,848 | $3,920 | $3,759 | $388,900 | $86,463 | 4.5% | #10 | #1151 | +19.5% |
Data: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-year estimates — tables B25103 (real-estate taxes), B25077 (home value), B19013 (household income) — and the 2024 Census county gazetteer. Public domain (Title 17 U.S.C. §105).
How property tax works in New Hampshire
Assessment, exemptions, appeals and payment are set by New Hampshire law and practice, so they apply to every county in the table above. Each fact is taken from an official government source and linked to it.
- How property is assessed
- New Hampshire municipalities assess, levy and collect their own property taxes, with the Department of Revenue Administration monitoring assessing practices. Towns must bring their schedule of values anew at least once every five years, a statutory requirement under RSA 75:8-a. The date of valuation is April 1 of the tax year, and each municipality files an MS-1 Summary Inventory of Valuation with the DRA by September 1. source →
- Exemptions & credits
- The Low and Moderate Income Homeowners Property Tax Relief program (RSA 198:56–57) rebates part of the state education property tax. A claimant must own a homestead subject to that tax, have resided there on April 1 of the claim year, and have household income of $37,000 or less if single, $47,000 if married or head of a New Hampshire household. Form DP-8 is filed between May 1 and June 30. source →
- Appealing an assessment
- File an RSA 76:16 abatement application with the municipality: by March 1 if the notice of tax was mailed on or before December 31, otherwise within two months of that notice. If the town denies it, or the application is deemed denied, appeal to the Board of Tax and Land Appeals or the superior court, but not both, by September 1, with further appeal to the supreme court. source →
- Payment schedule & penalties
- In towns and cities that adopt semi-annual collection under RSA 76:15-a, a partial payment computed from half the previous year's tax rate is billed no later than June 15 and is due and payable July 1; the remainder is due December 1. Under RSA 76:13, interest of 8 percent per year is charged on taxes not paid by December 1, deferred 30 days when bills are mailed late. source →
- Why rates vary within the state
- The overall rate is assembled from separate components: municipal, local school, state education and county. Each is computed by dividing the dollars a budget needs by the municipality's total locally assessed valuation, then dividing by 1,000, producing a rate per $1,000 of assessed value. Real estate taxes as a whole are not affected by a revaluation but by the budget process, since budgets are set at annual meetings. source →
- What makes this state's system distinctive
- New Hampshire levies a Statewide Education Property Tax, governed by RSA 76:3 and RSA 76:8. The portion each municipality must raise is calculated by multiplying a uniform statewide education property tax rate by that municipality's tax base, and the tax is then assessed and collected by the local municipality rather than by the state. source →
Hand-sourced from official government sources — not a substitute for your own assessor's notice, and not legal or tax advice. Where a fact isn't confirmed on an official source, it is left off rather than guessed, which is why some states show fewer rows than others.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the average property tax rate in New Hampshire?
- Statewide, New Hampshire's effective property-tax rate is 1.656% — the state median real-estate taxes ($6,667) divided by the state median home value ($402,500), from the Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. The national figure is about 0.937%, which puts New Hampshire at #4 of 51 (1 = highest). Individual counties vary widely; the table above shows every one.
- Which New Hampshire county has the highest property taxes?
- By effective rate, Cheshire County is highest in New Hampshire at 2.159% (median bill $6,048), and Carroll County is lowest at 0.989% (median bill $3,848). Ranked by dollars paid rather than rate the order changes, because home values differ so much across the state — the table above shows both columns and sorts on either.
- What property tax exemptions are available in New Hampshire?
- The Low and Moderate Income Homeowners Property Tax Relief program (RSA 198:56–57) rebates part of the state education property tax. A claimant must own a homestead subject to that tax, have resided there on April 1 of the claim year, and have household income of $37,000 or less if single, $47,000 if married or head of a New Hampshire household. Form DP-8 is filed between May 1 and June 30. Eligibility and filing are handled by your county assessor, and the exemption you qualify for changes your bill far more than the county you are in — the rates above are county medians and do not account for any exemption.
- How do I appeal a property tax assessment in New Hampshire?
- File an RSA 76:16 abatement application with the municipality: by March 1 if the notice of tax was mailed on or before December 31, otherwise within two months of that notice. If the town denies it, or the application is deemed denied, appeal to the Board of Tax and Land Appeals or the superior court, but not both, by September 1, with further appeal to the supreme court. Missing the deadline usually means waiting a full year, so check the date on your own assessment notice rather than relying on a general figure.
- When are property taxes due in New Hampshire?
- In towns and cities that adopt semi-annual collection under RSA 76:15-a, a partial payment computed from half the previous year's tax rate is billed no later than June 15 and is due and payable July 1; the remainder is due December 1. Under RSA 76:13, interest of 8 percent per year is charged on taxes not paid by December 1, deferred 30 days when bills are mailed late. If your taxes are paid through a mortgage escrow account, your servicer pays on this schedule on your behalf.
- How is property assessed in New Hampshire?
- New Hampshire municipalities assess, levy and collect their own property taxes, with the Department of Revenue Administration monitoring assessing practices. Towns must bring their schedule of values anew at least once every five years, a statutory requirement under RSA 75:8-a. The date of valuation is April 1 of the tax year, and each municipality files an MS-1 Summary Inventory of Valuation with the DRA by September 1. This is why an effective rate computed from market value — as every rate on this page is — will not match the millage rate printed on your bill: the two are applied to different bases.
Compare & explore
See the national highest and lowest property-tax rates, or read the methodology behind every figure. The national median effective rate is 0.937%; New Hampshire's statewide figure is 1.656%.